Clamp for hosiery driers



R E K A M A N A w F. H.

CLAMP FOR HOSIERY DRIERS Filed March 24, 1932 Patented May 1, 1934 PATENT F 'i' CLAMP FOR HOSIERY DRIERS Harry F. Wanamaker, Philadelphia, Pa., assigner to Proctor & Schwartz, Incorporated, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 24, 1932, Serial No. 601,005

6 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for holding stockings to forms, such as that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,190,119, and

, more particularly to the clamp that actually contacts with the stocking adjacent the open end thereof, to press that particular portion of the stocking firmly against the form.

The object of the present invention is to construct the clamp in such a manner as to distribute more evenly the pressure of the contacting portion of the clamp over the area of the stocking intended to be engaged thereby.

The construction and operation of the device forming the subject of the present invention will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a stocking form with the clamps closed against the form;

Fig. 2 is a face View of the mechanism shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3--3, Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clamp closer. The form 1 is mounted at its lower end in a carrier 2 and is provided with guides 3, 3 for slidably mounting a head 4 that is formed on the upper end of an operating rod 5 slidablymounted in the carrier 2. The guides 3, 3 are provided with bearings 6, 6 for the reception and support of the pintles 7 of the hinge elements 8, 8 of the clamps 10, 10 at opposite sides of the form 1 respectively. Each clamp 10 comprises a frame 11, over which is stretched a fabric covering 12, the fabric being drawn taut over the main frame 11 and held in its taut condition by a stretching frame 13.

Each main frame 11 is open at its center and comprises top and bottom rails 14 and 15 respectively and side rails 16, 16 respectively. Formed integral with and extending at an angle from the upper oppositely disposed corners of the frame 11 and into the open center thereof is a pair of converging struts 17, 17, which are Vjoined at a position above the horizontal center line fc, of the frame 11, along the vertical center line y,y of the frame, by an integral juncture plate 18. The plate 18 is disposed in a plane substantially parallel to and spaced laterally from the plane of the frame 11, and the struts 17, 17 extend at an angle to and beteen the parallel planes of the frame 11 and the juncture plate 18.

Secured to the juncture plate 18 along the vertical centerline y, y as by rivets 19, 19, is one end end of a resilient arm 20, the opposite end of which is secured to the hinge element 8 as by rivets 21, 21.

The resilient arm 20 comprises a flat main spring leaf and a reinforcing leaf 22 that extends parallel to and coincident with the leaf 20 and is secured at its lower end to and between the main leaf 20 and the hinge element 8 by the rivets 21.

The attachment or juncture plate portion 18 of the frame 11 is provided with ears 23, 23 which respectively engage the opposite parallel side edges of the resilient arm 20, below the rivets 19, 19, to prevent turning of the frame 11, relative to the arm 20.

Secured to the strut members 17, 17, as by rivets 24, 24, adjacent the upper end of the resilient arm 20, are the upper ends respectively of supplementary spring elements 25, 25 which diverge from the juncture plate 18 toward the lower opposite corners respectively of the frame 11, the lower ends of the supplementary springs 25, 25 being mounted in sockets 26, 26 formed in and by angularly disposed corner braces 27, 27 formed integrally with the frame 11 and connected at their opposite ends tothe side rails 16 and bottom rail 12 of the frame 11, whereby a sliding action between the lower ends of the springs 25 and the sockets 26 is permitted, such sliding action being limited by legs 28 formed on the braces 27, 27, and adapted to engage the ends of the springs 25 if projected to a maximum predetermined extent beyond the brace 27.

The braces 27, 27 are disposed in planes parallel to and intermediate the planes of the frame 11 and its juncture plate 18, as shown in Fig. 3.

The clamps are adapted to be closed by vertical movement of the operating rod 5, whereupon the upper ends of extensions 30, 30 on the head 4 of the rod 5 bear against the outer sides oi the hinge elements 8, swinging the arms 20 and the clamps 10 about the pivots 7 until the clamps 10 engage the opposite sides respectively of the stocking A on the form 1, continued pivoting of the arms 20 about the pivots 7 flexing the arms 20 and the springs 25 to distribute the pressure of the clamps 10 over the entire area of those portions of the stocking adapted to be engaged by the clamps.

Heretofore the clamps have been more or less rigidly secured at the intersection of their vertical and horizontal center lines to the outer ends of actuating arms, corresponding to the arms 20 in the present instance but which were not of the same resilient character as the present arms 20, thus when the clamps were swung into conclamp frames 11, the pressure of the clamps on g the stocking is distributed over the entire area of the stocking intended to be engaged by the clamps and is not concentrated at the lower portion of the clamps as heretofore. Preferably the upper edges of the clamps l0 contact with the stocking slightly-in advance of the complete contact of the clamps with the stocking 'and the springs 25 then function to apply the pressure to the lower portions of the clamps, the spring arms 20 at the same time flexing between the points Yof attachment with the clamps and the hinge elements 8 to distribute the pressure evenly over the entire clamp.

In order to retain the clamps 10 in holding contact with thestocking A on the form l, the head 4 of the operating rod 5 is provided with a lever or latch 35 pivoted to the head'e as at 36 and having one end 37 arranged to engage the upper surface 38 of a lug 39 formed on the carrier 2,-the opposite end 40 of the latch V35 engaging the underside of ajshoulder 4l formed on the head 4, whereby theY lever 35 when turned about its pivot into'a position substantially parallel to the Yaxis of the rod 5 lls the space between the shoulder 4l of the head ll and the lug 39 on the carrier 2, thereby preventing the projections 30 on the head 4 from moving downwardly along the hinge elements 8 of the clamps l0 to a position where the clamps would'be released to fall by gravity out of contact with the stocking A on the form l.

I claim: Y

1. The combination of aV substantially vertically arranged stocking form, a clamp arranged to contact flatly with a stocking form and comprising a substantially flat rectangular* frame having a portion spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the'said frame, a resilient arm having one end secured to the spaced portion of the frame at a point above the horizontal center line of the clamp along the vertical centerline thereof and its opposite end pivoted adjacent the form, a pair of resilient arms each secured at one end to said raised portion or" the frame and extending divergently from the said raised portion of the frame to and engaging the opposite lower corners of the frame respectively, and means for swinging the arm about its pivot to press the clamp iiatly against the stocking on the form.

2. The combination of a substantially vertically arranged stocking form, a clamp arranged to contact atly with a stocking form and comprising a substantially flat rectangular frame having a portion spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the said frame, a resilient arm having one end secured to the spaced portion of the frame at a point above the horizontal center line of the clamp along the vertical center line thereof and its opposite end pivoted adjacent the form, a pair of resilient arms each secured at one end to said raised portion of the frame and extending divergently from the said raised portion of the frame to and engaging the opposite lower corners of the frame respectively, sockets at the said lower corners of the frame to slidably receive the iree ends of said divergent resilient arms, and meansfor swinging the arm about its pivot to press the clamp flatly against the stocking on the form. i

3. The combination of a substantially vertically arranged stocking form, a clamp arranged Ato contact ilatly with a stocking form and comprising a substantially at rectangular frame having a portion spaced from and substantially parallel Vto the plane of the said frame, a resilient arm having''one endV secured to the spaced portion of the frame at apoint above the horizontal center line of the clampY along the vertical center line thereof and its opposite end pivoted adjacent the formja pair of resilient arms each secured at one end torsaid raised portion of the frame and extending dive'rgently from the said raised portion of the frame to and engaging the opposite lower cornersY of the frame respectively, sockets at the said lower corners of the frame to slidably receive the free ends of said divergent resilientv arms, stops Yon the frame adjacent the said free ends of the divergent arms to limit the said sliding movement thereof relative to the frame, and means for swinging the arm about its pivot to press the clamp ilatly against the stocking on the form. Y

e. The combination of a substantially vertically arranged stocking forma clamp arranged to contact flatly with a stockingfo-rm and comprising a substantiallyjilat rectangular frame having a Yportion spaced from and substantially parallel to the plane of the said Yframe, a resilient arm having one end secured to the spaced portion oi the frame at a point above the horizontal center line of the clamp along the vertical center line thereof and its opposite end pivoted adjacent the form, a pair o'resilient arms each secured at one endtoV said raised portion of the frame and extending divergently from the said raised portion cf the frame to and engaging the opposite lower corners of the frame respectively, sockets at the said lower corners of the frame and spaced from the plane of said frame to slidably receive the iree ends of said divergent resilient arms, and means for swinging the arm about its pivot to press the clamp iiatly against the stocking on the form.

5. The combination of a substantially vertically arranged stocking form, a carrier at the lower end of said form for supporting the form, a clamp arranged to contact with a stocking on the form adjacent the carrier, a resilient arm having a hinge element pivotally mounted adjacent the lower end of the form and supported by the carrier, the opposite end of said resilient arm being secured to the clamp along the vertical center line thereof above the horizontal center line of the clamp, an operating head supported by and slidably mounted for vertical movement with respect to the form and the carrier, a projection on said head arranged to engage the hinge section of the resilient arm adjacent the pivot thereof for swinging the arm and the clamp to effect contact of the clamp with a stocking on the form, an abutment on the carrier, and a lever pivoted to the head and having a free end arranged to engage said abutment to retain the head in a clamplocking position.

6. The combination of a substantially vertically arranged stocking form, a carrier at the lower end of said form for supporting the form, a clamp arranged to contact with a stocking on the form adjacent the carrier, a resilient arm having a hinge element pivotally mounted adjacent the Contact of the clamp with a stocking on the form, an abutment on the carrier, a shoulder on said head, and a lever pivoted intermediate its ends to the head and having one end arranged to engage said shoulder on the head and its opposite end arranged to engage said abutment on the carrier to retain the head in a clamp-locking position.

HARRY F. WANAMAKER. 

